Piedone a Hong Kong

Un sogno diventato realtà.

Bud Spencer in Asia. He collaborates with Hong Kong stunt experts. One of my dream came true. Bud Spencer is always living in the masterpieces. This title was not released in Asia, but it never be too late to know him. I believe that Bud Spencer will be more favored in Asia.

Thanks to Jesús Manuel

I watched this absolute masterpiece in Spanish version VHS "Pies Grandes" from my old friend Jesús Manuel Pérez Molina, alias Lino Banfi in Sevilla. I greatly appreciate his kindness before all.

I don’t know Spanish, nevertheless I am able to get certain words. And I have French edition VHS of Piedone lo sbirro re-titled as Un flic hors-la-loi (French is my second language), I already know the basis of the series. I understood the outline of the story and Jesús Manuel helped me to complete the details.

A dream came true.

Bud Spencer makes the brawl in collaboration with Hong Kong stunt experts. Who imagined such situation? One of my dreams came true.

"Commissario Rizzo" uses a long stick to fight like a Shaolin monk. His stick was folded in half, but he keeps fighting with the two short sticks. This is a literal Kunf Fu fighting that I habitually look in the 70s Hong Kong films!

The action of Bud Spencer is perfect like a martial arts star. I don’t think that a standard actor can adapt to this kind of movements on the spot. Bud Spencer has surely the distinguished reflexes.

Rizzo in Kung Fu with chang gunPure Hong Kong style twin bangs

The action director who was obviously a Hong Konger would be appreciated his talent. Bud Spencer shows Kung Fu mixed with "Bud Hammer".

On the other hand, I’m surprised at the ability of Roberto Dell’Acqua. I know that he is a great stunt man, the third of Dell’Aqua brothers. But, I didn’t suppose that he was such perfectly match with Kung Fu!

The chopsticks

I mitici Bud Spencer & Terence Hill "Piedone a Hong Kong" DVD

Daygolo is apparently a misspell of Daigorō. His role name "Yoko" which wants to say Yōko is a name for a woman. I absolutely love the ending where Yōko uses the chopsticks. Each country has each great culture. Mix them as you like. That’s what the scene tells. This is my fundamental idea and a representative liberty of Europe that I love.

Maybe, you think that Japanese knows how to use a folk and knife. However, it’s true that a clerk of a convenience store sometimes gives me the chopsticks when I purchased a spaghetti. In fact, it’s rather annoying to eat spaghetti with the chopsticks because the chopsticks aren’t made for rolling the spaghetti up. I can’t.

Sumō wrestler

There are three Asian locations. Thailand, Hong Kong and Macao. There was a little Sumō arena in Hong Kong. In fact, it’s impossible because Japan was the biggest enemy in Asia while the wars. Historically, Taiwan is a sole country who is familiar with Japan, but there is obviously not a Sumō arena. And I’m sure that this sumō wrestler is not Japanese.

Something on a reversed miniature car. What is he doing?Bud Spencer with a dead sumō body. It’s quite surrealistic.

Sumō wrestler sacrificed himself to save Rizzo. This is surely a refer to the story of Benkei. A giant with a good heart dies for the friend. This is a Japanese traditional scheme scattered in a popular fiction of the 70s such as Benkei in Getter Robo and Kumano Daigorō in Himitsu Sentai Gorenger. Yes, Daigorō is all around.

Hong Kong actors

Look a nice expression of Roberto Dell’Acqua!徐忠信 is on the left.

There are some well known figures of the 70s Hong Kong cinema. The most beaten mobster is 宋金來 who is in《神打》of 劉家良 and《識英雄重英雄》as I know. He is often remarked as an eccentric squint actor along with 杜少明 and 魚頭雲. More about them is referred on the article 30 Something: 被遺忘的演員: 杜少明和魚頭雲

Wong Jing "Last Hero in China" 1993

徐忠信 is a full-fledged Chinese martial artist and has appeared in over 100 films. He is the villain in《黃飛鴻之鐵雞鬥蜈蚣》and《重振精武門》. He is on the left side of Bud Spencer on the screen shot. The guy on the right side could be 咖喱. Certain faces are too far and are impossible to distinguish due to the deterioration of the image quality of an old VHS. I’ll review the actors after the arrival of the latest Italian DVD that I purchased.

李海生 is surely the most famous among the actors from Hong Kong. He appears as one of the mobsters and killed a Japanese woman. He is widely known as an enemy in 邵氏兄弟 or 嘉峰電影 films. For example, he is in《老虎田雞》as the villain.

I didn’t know 張蔭鵬. He is perhaps an overseas Chinese, almost unknown in Hong Kong cinema. This is his sole film as an actor in fact. He is a co-director of《龍爭虎鬥》and an American film named as Golden Needles. He is also a filmmaker of《猛龍過江》. Only these three films are in his visible career. His name can be cited in talking about 李小龍.

The brawl in the sea

The mobsters including 徐忠信 assaulted to Rizzo in Macao. The brawl in the sea was amazing. One of the memorial scenes of this film. Bud Spencer was virtually a swimming medalist. He won the gold medal at 1955 Mediterranean Games as a member of the Italian national team. More about his swimming career, refer "Carriera sportiva" on Wikipedia.

Cycle rickshaw

The old driver shows his professionalism.And then…

Rizzo arrived in Hong Kong and was obliged to take a cycle rickshaw by the favor of an old driver. It’s very Bud Spencer. Apparently, the driver was proud of his job and tried to show his professionalism to Rizzo. He is a typical Asian! The director Steno knows well our culture.

Rizzo at last replaced the driver. And the old man directed the destination in smoking a cigarette from the rear seat. It’s a joke very Asiatic at the same time European. I love it!

Colonna Sonora

Guido e Maurizio De Angelis "Piedone a Hong Kong" 1975

Bud e Terence with Guido e Maurizio De Angelis, this is a theory of Cinema italiano. Anyone knows that their music is always supreme.

Several labels are releasing the original soundtracks and some tracks are included in the compilations. For example, I have Beat vol. 2 – Lounge at Cinevox. The track 9 "Car Chase at Margellina" which is originally from Piedone lo sbirro was reused at the climax of Piedoe a Hong Kong.

After his acting career, he was managing a Mahjong shop in Japan and had a trouble in financing. He occured a premeditated murder against a moneylender in 1999 and robbed his money. He escaped to Thailand and was arrested there. He has been deported and was sentenced to life imprisonment in Japan. He is living in a jail today.

Also, another actor Tomikawa Akihiro who precedently played Daigorō in the series of the film known as Shogun Assassin in US, was arrested in 2004 by the smuggling of handguns from Thailand.

These news spawned an urban legend that Daigorō is cursed. Especially, the combination of Daigorō with Thailand is fatal.

The last Daigorō is Satō Takumi. He replaced Nishikawa from the third season of the TV series. Fortunately, he doesn’t have a tragedy as I know.